Youth charged in children's hospital arson

Hey there, time traveller!This article was published 28/7/2013 (1481 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A 16-year-old male was charged with arson Saturday.

Police say the youth was responsible for starting a fire at the Children’s Hospital on March 5, 2013, which forced almost 100 children, including patients in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units to evacuate the building. The youth has been released with a promise to appear in court.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES

Firefighters fight a fire in March in the wing of the Children's Hospital currently under construction.

Police say an incendiary device was used to set the $1-million fire at the construction site next to Children's Hospital. The seven-storey building is scheduled to open next spring and will include a new pediatric MRI, new operating room angiography suite and several other units.

"Any case of arson is disappointing," the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said shortly after the blaze.